Primary Obsessions

The endearing and unflappable Dr. Annick Boudreau regularly confronts a myriad of mental health issues in her psychiatric practice at the West Coast Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Clinic. But even Annick is stunned when Sanjay, a young patient who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is arrested for the brutal murder of his roommate.

While Sanjay is tortured by repeated violent thoughts, he is horrified by them and Annick is convinced that he would never enact one of them in real life. But the police and prosecutor are convinced that they have caught the perpetrator and aren''t interested in looking very hard. Unable to talk to the authorities because of doctor-patient confidentiality, Annick feels compelled to investigate on her own, whatever the risks.

Primary Obsessions is the first book in a series of mysteries starring Dr. Annick Boudreau and involving themes of mental health. Author (and longtime CBT patient) Charles Demers deftly reveals a particular aspect of psychiatric practice in each book, illuminating shadowy subject matter with masterful sensitivity and sharp wit. Primary Obsessions is an engrossing page-turner and a refreshing reboot of the sleuth genre.

Shortlisted for the 2021 Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award

“The kind of narrative storytelling style that engages the reader’s full and rapt attention from first page to last” Clint Travis, Midwest Book Review

“Charles Demers brings freshness to a literary genre that has been in danger of turning as ripe as a week-old murder victim” John Moore, BC BookWorld

“Dr. Annick Boudreau is a winning literary creation: she’s smart, funny, confident, and easy to cheer for” Paul Headrick, Ormsby Review

“Delivers a nuanced portrayal of the stigmatization of mental illness in collision with crime” Nathan Ripley, author of Find You in the Dark

“Witty, compassionate and sharply observed... exciting from start to finish” Iona Whishaw, author of the Lane Winslow series

“A page-turning mystery that’s ultimately about trying to help our loved ones through their darkest days” Kelly Hrudey, Hockey Night in Canada and Sportsnet analyst and mental health advocate